According to Goel, the reason behind the differing levels of interest in the Telangana movement in Hyderabad and surrounding areas was economic inequality.

The headquarters of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is a massive white mansion that towers over the many luxury vehicles snaking through a smooth blacktop road down below.

Jubilee Hills is a coveted address and the neighbourhood is dominated by politicians, actors and businessmen from the Seemandhra region. N Chandrababu Naidu, Chiranjeevi and several other VIPs who stay in the area have been the target of TRS during the election campaign.

The day after polls in Hyderabad, the TRS office seems upbeat. Party supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) had participated in the May Day celebrations at the headquarters and said he was confident of forming the government and TRS leaders were heard discussing cabinet formation.

The report about actor Chiranjeevi being asked by a techie to stand in queue to cast his vote was discussed with disdain by the TRS leaders.

"Even I knew that it would take time to cast my vote and so all of us decided to do it early in the morning. I went to vote right after my morning walk," said AK Goel, who was among the central contributors to the TRS's election manifesto.

Apart from the superstar-turned-politician's embarrassing encounter, another subject that was of interest at the TRS camp was the indifference of a substantial section of voters in Hyderabad towards the Telangana cause even as the party had caused nothing short of a revolution in the rural districts of the region.

Urban-Rural Divide

Goel, a former chief secretary of the state, says the party is aware that the people in the city have not shown the sentiment and passion that was visible in the rural areas.

"A section of the population in the city still thinks of themselves as Hyderabadis only. They are yet to become Telanganawadis," admits Goel even as he asserts confidence in the party's performance in the remaining districts.

According to Goel, the reason behind the differing levels of interest in the Telangana movement in Hyderabad and surrounding areas was economic inequality.

"People in the city have already seen some development and they are more worried about hanging onto it. But the peo-ple in rural areas are impoverished and are desperate for attention. Their only hope is the TRS," says Goel.

At a time when the media and commentators are predicting a definite show of strength by the party during these elections, increasingly it has become evident that the people of Hyderabad have a different vision of the future.

Naveen Kumar, an MBA student is a voter from Secunderabad. "There is no need for a separate state. I have never faced any kind of discrimination in the city. Then why should I join KCR?" asks Naveen.

According to Naveen, he knows that the rural areas of Telangana are poorer than the rest of the region. "But I think that for the residents of the city, it is more important to ensure that the leadership is capable of developing Hyderabad. That is why I have not voted for them."

Naveen also said that he respected Chandrababu Naidu for his enterprise and bringing global IT companies to the city.

The economic aspirations of the people of Hyderabad seem to be more in favour of a leadership that will continue to put the capital at the centre of the development agenda — as opposed to the TRS, which has been talking about developing the districts.

It's also proved to be difficult for the KCR-led party to wean away voters who traditionally have had a strong preference for parties that speak up for religion.

Muhammad Nizamuddin, 65, is a resident of the Old City. At a cafe next to the Charminar, Nizamuddin says that although he thinks the TRS should be given a chance, he has voted for the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) since it is the party that understands the aspirations of the minority community.

"It is a good thing that the Telangana movement happened and that KCR may soon come to power. But in Hyderabad there is a different idea of politics. Here, we have been voting the MIM for decades.

Therefore, although I appreciate that KCR is creating waves in the rest of Telangana, I am doubtful whether he will get much response in the city," says Nizamuddin.

This duality in sentiment was there to be seen on voting day as well. While the districts saw very high polling percentages, Hyderabad saw lower turnouts.

Hyderabad Stays Home Voters had braved the summer heat and turned up in large numbers across Telangana to cast their vote for 17 Lok Sabha and 119 assembly seats earlier this week. The polling percentage was in excess of 72% in the 10 districts in the region.

Hyderabad district (53%) and the neighbouring Ranga Reddy district (60%) recorded a lower turnout compared to other districts. The highest voter turnout of 80.56% was recorded in Nalgonda.

Political observers said that the low turnout in the capital was also on account of people from adjoining districts going back to their villages to cast their vote as they know that in the city their TRS vote would not count for much.

Moreover, there was also concern about flight of capital from the city which was also working up a rethink among voters in the city who are in favour of the TRS.

Javed Hussain, a taxi driver said he identified with the idea of a separate Telangana but was concerned about the economic future of the city. "Initially I supported the TRS but in the past two years, ever since the agitation picked up steam, my earnings have halved. This has made me undergo a rethink — after all, fending for the family is the most important thing," says Hussain.

According to Hussain, as a youngster he was vocal about the need for a separate Telangana as he felt that the people from Andhra had cornered all the jobs and political clout. But then both Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Congress brought massive investments into the city which helped people like him earn more.

Hussain says his earnings had gone up substantially during the reign of the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy. He feels Naidu too deserves credit for building the Hitec City.

Big City Blues

But ever since the movement for state separation gathered steam, investors started pulling out, which meant Hussain's customer base began shrinking. "Even I am concerned about the lack of growth in the rural areas and the injustice against the people of Telangana. But I am worried that Hyderabad will lose out in the bargain."

M Srinivas Reddy, a retired professor and senior TRS leader, said he agreed that the people of Hyderabad were not as enthusiastic about the party as were the voters in rural areas. The anxiety on the part of the city-dwellers was on account of the fact that there was some flight of capital in the past couple of years, he said.

"This is a temporary phenomenon. The value of real estate in the city will go up again once the new government is voted in. Hyderabad has an intrinsic attractiveness from the standpoint of people who want to settle down. Everybody likes to stay here," said Reddy.

Even as the city-dwellers of Hyderabad appeared less confident about TRS, a pink wave was clearly visible in the rural areas. Mohammad Iqbal who runs a small business in Mahabubnagar said that normally people in his village always voted for the Congress but this time they are voting for the TRS.

"The TRS seems to care for the rural voters and also appears secular. I think it will be good if they come to power in the state."

In the days before the election, KCR addressed hundreds of rallies, calling out to smaller audiences in remote areas of the region. At a rally in Tandur, KCR proved that although he spoke softly, he was able to inject passion into the masses.

Addressing an audience comprising of people largely belonging to backward castes, tribals and minorities, KCR spoke about the need to re-imagine the region. He mixed his speech with Urdu couplets and said that the "Ganga Yamuna tehzeeb of Telangana" was observed by Mahatma Gandhi and that, in the new state, communal tensions would be put to rest. He announced reservations for Muslims and tribals.

Although he spoke softly, the jibes at his opponents from Andhra seemed all the more pointed. He spoke about actor Pawan Kalyan who had spoken against the movement and him. "Who is this Pawan Kalyan? I am told he is an actor...I do not see movies...but if I snap my fingers he will be cut to pieces," said Rao to enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.

A distinct characteristic of the development vision spelt out by KCR was that there were no massive announcements or plans. Instead Rao spoke about incentives for farmers who wish to buy tractors, easier licences for those wanting to buy autorickshaws and larger homes for people who want to apply for houses through government schemes.

SM Yadav, a cap seller who conducts his business next to a bus station in the area, says that the emergence of the TRS is a welcome sign. "Look around you. There is nothing here: no industries, no farming, no avenues for people to earn a living.

The people of Hyderabad can say what they want because there are so many companies there. The TRS is on the right track because they are talking about empowering the rural people of Telangana." Winds of Change

It becomes evident that the erstwhile ruling parties of the state still have some support in Hyderabad while the villages seem to be clear about the need for change. However, the story gets more complicated for suburbs that have recently become popular with realtors.

M Srinivas Reddy was one of the thousands of farmers who voted out Chandrababu Naidu from power in 2004 because he was "more interested in developing IT than helping farmers".

Reddy used to earn a pittance from agriculture till five years ago. But in recent times a new IT project has been established in his village in LB Nagar on the outskirts of the city and today the land is worth a few crores.

Reddy, now a realty broker, says he is aware that Naidu has contributed towards the city's progress by starting an IT revolution in Hyderabad. "But when he was in power the TDP did not bother about the farmers or the adjoining districts. I agree that today if my land commands a price it is also because of the IT thrust. But I think today Telangana is ready to fend for itself and we are ready for the TRS."

Prof Reddy of the TRS says that today the party is in a position to develop rural areas and at the same time to develop the city.

"People in the city will not be disappointed. Once we address the basic issues of backwardness in the rural areas — which is our priority — we will also come up with an agenda for the city. This is only a beginning. Please give us some time."